Sweet Lips Yokohama Hardy Ground Orchid

Bletilla x yokohama, a seed hybrid group first produced by N. Suzuki in 1956, is a hybrid between the Chinese native, Bletilla striata, and the Taiwanese native, Bletilla formosana. We offered this hardy orchid in 2011 as a cultivar, but then discovered others had made named, unique selections of this same cross, so we gave our clonally propagated offering a new cultivar name. Bletilla x yokohama 'Sweet Lips' produces foliage similar to Bletilla striata, but topped in spring with 2' stalks that end in a cluster of 5-6 nearly white flowers highlighted with a darker purple lip.